Re: Brown Hockey 2012-2013:Climbing the ECAC Ladder
Some thoughts about the weekend:
1. Jeffrey Ryan should be the ECAC Player of the Week. Three points at Princeton and two down the stretch against the #1 team in league to give the Bears a tie. His goal against Qpac to bring the Bears within one was about determination and grit, and he got the EA goal started with some terrific play against the boards to free the puck up for Lorito, who set it to Zaires. He skated tremendously against Quinnipiac, finished some hits, killed penalties, and buzzed around the ice. I cannot think of any player who had this significant an improvement from his first three years to his final in my 17 years watching this team - maybe Jon DiRienzo, but DiRienzo had the benefit of skating with Damien Prescott. (Truthfully, all too often we were waiting for these break-throughs, they never happened, and players too frequently declined).
2. With Hathaway out on Saturday night, I admittedly felt like the Bears would struggle against Quinnipiac, and when they went up 3-1 early in the third, I thought it was all but over. So too did most of their fans, and you got the sense that the only people in the building that felt the Bears were going to come back were behind the Brown bench.
3. When Quinnipiac called timeout after the Ryan goal, the Bears' bench went to right to work. Brendan Whittet went down to the side of the bench with the d-men and left Mike Souza to talk to the forwards. At such a critical juncture of the game, he wasn't micromanaging, and his ability to use the coaching staff in its entirety, coupled with the fierce energy that he was bringing, was masterful. To get two goals in two minutes against a team that last gave up more than two almost two months ago (and that to Nebraska-Omaha), while trailing 3-1 on the road, on their senior night, gave yet more evidence of why Brendan Whittet may be deserving of more consideration for league coach of the year than he will actually get.
4. Very impressed with Brown's d-zone play for the most part. Yes, there was an errant pass or two that led to the first (and last) Quinnipiac goal, and a couple of icings in the overtime that may have caused a heart palpitation or two, and the DeConcylis penalty to prompt the second Quinnipiac goal, but overall the Brown defense played pretty well, and Anthony Borelli was solid once again.
5. Once again, give me Brendan Whittet any night of the week.
6. I think Quinnipiac is a good team, but Hartzell may be a product of a system. Once Brown put some heat on him, he collapsed; a goal was disallowed, and the play of guys like Barron and Dalhuisen, who are physical and strong in front of him, helped clear out other pucks that would have otherwise caused him more problems. I honestly don't see them as the #1 team in the nation; a team that knows how to win, sure. A team that plays a solid system and gets balanced scoring from four lines, absolutely. But #1 in the nation is a stretch, I think.
7. The past two Cleary Cup winners have been winless against the Brown Bears, Union in 2011-12 and Quinnipiac this year.
8. In case I hadn't mentioned it, give me Brendan Whittet any night of the week.
9. I'm hoping Hathaway's injury isn't serious. While Siers gave the Bears a couple of good shifts, and Lamacchia and Senecal filled in ok with Naclerio and Ryan, Brown needs #23 to make some consistent noise, particularly moving into the playoffs.
10. Looking forward to next weekend. I hope the students and the community make it out for two big games; Cornell is starting to roll, and Colgate always plays us tough. Very excited.
Some thoughts of my own (even though you made several of them).
1) The fact that we say this about Jeffrey Ryan is something special. He's not a particular great skill player, but the fact that he factors into a decision late in the year shows that Brown can really have anyone show up on any given night.
2) I was actually talking to someone about Hathaway being out, and they said something to the effect of that Brown really needs him. I turned around and said, "Well that means someone else will have to step up." I didn't mean it in a sense that "Ok hathaway's out, who cares?" I meant in a sense of "Do you really expect Brown to roll over because a guy is out with an injury?" There is no injury that this Brown team can't overcome. There might be nothing they can't overcome on the whole. I love that I called that one.
3) The same thing happened against Quinnipiac at Brown. Tied at 1-1, the refs called two quick penalties against brown because, you know, their prized possession of the #1 team in the nation can't God Forbid lose a game to *gasp* Brown (hehehehehe). That set up a VERY long 5-on-3. Whittet burned his TO and called his players over. He said one thing to Lamacchia, with an exaggerated point. Almost positive it was just "win the f---ing faceoff" (pardon my Francois Drolet on that one). Then he coached the two defensemen (Robertson and Wahl). The trio won the faceoff then killed off the entire 5-on-3 on their own in what was an absolutely fantastic moment. Every time I see Whittet and the staff start talking to the players, I get giddy and want to lace them up.
4) Jake Goldberg for Defender of the Year. Is there anyone who would argue this?
5) My first born will be named Whittet Euler Humanoid. Mrs. Humanoid doesn't know this yet. I'm sure it'll go over well.
6) Hartzell is soft. He's a lot like that Yale guy back in the day. When you have a team in front of you that's really solid, a goalie looks great. Few teams in college actually have a goalie who can dominate for them. Niagara had all those shutouts, but that wa a product of team defense and play as opposed to Chubak dominating the games. Same thing with Boston College and the great Pahkah Milnah. Milner is actually a very weak goalie; he won titles becuase he had the world' sbest defense in front of him. Ditto for Kieran Millan up there where people major in "Saying No and Ignoring It" - BU. Hartzell's no different. You take him and put him on other teams and he's average. Likewise you take an average goalie like a Tony Capobianco or a Raphael Girard and put them on great teams with solid systems and you get stat kings.
Except for that Meisner guy at AIC. He's playing his arse off and that team is HORRIBLE. I spend a lot of time with the AHA and I swear to God that guy goes to bed at night with nightmares of rubber plants.
7) This is why championships aren't won in the regular season. See also: 2007 New England Patriots, 16-0. Excuse me while I go set fire to the giant salad fork sticking out of my back.
8) My first born will not be named Grillo Roy Humanoid. Speaking of which, my daily shot at that putz up at Northeastern. Tell me how the entire collective buttocks of Hockey East tastes. 10th place? Hey nowwwwww THAT's a solid program right there. Hope the Fat One is readying his resume in two years. Am I coming off spiteful and bitter? Yes? Then again, he'd probably have killed this team and its great chemistry then left after a year. But, hey, he'll always have that runners up trophy from the Beanpot. Goes again to prove that one player does NOT make a team. A team makes a team.
That said -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYHSDuLUSug - makes me think of both of them.
9) All I'll say to that is - In Whittet We Trust. Just remember to breathe and think of it this way. Every time you go to analyze why Brown will struggle without a guy, just remember who the coach is. KG - take it away:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyjOy7fRzs0
10) If any student reads this. Go out, buy some ice cold dr. peppers and come put your school colors on to support this team. They are making the name on the front of the jersey proud, and you dont even have to like hockey to enjoy this. They are playing for themselves, and they are playing for the university that they chose to attend. It's something I said at the beginning of the year when moose knuckle headed for NU. You play for the name on the front of the jersey not the name on the back, and Brendan's rallied this team for that cause. The students should recognize this and realize that they, too, chose the name on the front of those jerseys, and even if you don't like sports, you can go and stand up for YOUR school. Not the alumni. Not the administration. YOUR school and YOUR team. And that's awesome.
